A Screen the iPod Can't Touch

摘要

Back in 1999, an obscure Canadian company called Research In Motion defied conventional wisdom and put a keyboard on a pager-size device, creating the first BlackBerry. Now RIM has struck again, this time by eliminating the physical keyboard from its new BlackBerry Storm smartphone. The Storm will be available later this fall fromrnVerizon Wireless in the U.S. and from Vodafone in Europe and parts of Asia. Apple's iPhone made the world safe for onscreen keyboards, but the Storm is radically different and (based on the hour or so I spent with the handset) considerably better. The Storm uses a touchscreen similar to the iPhone's, where you move your finger lightly on the surface to navigate around the screen. To confirm a selection or menu choice, you press harder. The slight flexing of the display triggers a tiny switch beneath it, generating distinct tactile feedback. This avoids a common problem on touchscreens: It can be difficult to distinguish between just moving around the display and initiating an action.